Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-02-18
FARM and HOUSEHOLD.
BUTTER MAKING on THE FARM.

ince of many writer's and speakers
to impress upon the minds of farm
ers that good butter can be pro-
duced only at public crcameries, OF
as they may be properly called,
butter factories.
Butter-making is, indeed, the
fine art of agriculture. 1t consists
of a series of processes aud con
ditions, all Of which must be cor
rect, that the result (the butter)
may be perfect. The processes and
conditions begin with the COW, and
include good care generally, uni
formly kind treatment, good food
and enough of it, and of the right
kind, care and cleanliness in milk
ing, properly strainlng the milk
and proper conditions for setting
the milk for cream raising, that all
the cream may be obtained, and in
the best possible condition.
When the last resultin the above
mentioned series has been attained,
that is, when all the cream has
been separated from the milk and
in good condition, and the cans
washed, the farmer has done the
greater, and by far, the harder
part of the work, and if he has
been intelligent and pains.taking
enough in doing all properly thus
far, if he has not the skill to do the
balance, he or his wife can soon ac-
quire it.
There also seems to be dis
position on the part of many inter-
ested IN the sale of apparatus and
fixtures for public creameries, or
butter factories, to mystify the art
of butter.making, and to create a
conviction in the minds OF farmers
that il is beyond their attainment.
1t is true, public creamerles pro-
duce good butter. 1t is also true
that they sometimes produce poor
butter. That the average public
creamery butter is better than a
good deal OF farm butter no one
will deny. But that the highest
grade of butter, selling for the best
price, is produced on farm diaries,
one can be convinced by visiting
the Philadelphia market, where
butter in prints from the best
daries within a few miles of the
Quaker City sells for fabulous
/
prices.
If every patron of a creamery
would see that each and every pro-
cess and condition referred to was
conducted exactly right even then
the home butter maker has one
advantage over the butter maker
at the factory. 1t is this: His
cream remains at home sUblecS to
proper conditions, while that for
the creamery is trundled about tor
hours, some of it all day, and many
times exposed to the heat OF the
sun.
But all farmers who are patrons
of the factories will not take the
pains that they should, and that,
perhaps, the best ones to take
therefore the intelligent and care
tul farm butter maker, who does
the entire work in his own dairy
house or room, has, at the time OF
getting ready to churn, the salts
faction of knowing that so far
every process and condition enter
Ing as factors into the production
of the butter he is about to make,
have been correct. OF this the
butter maker at the factory cannot
be sure, nor can he scarcely expect
it.
But it will be said that creamery
butter sells at a much higher price
than farm or private dairy butter.
This need not be so, for if the farm
er produces as good an article as
he can produce, puts it up in ac-
ceptable packages, or forms, and
seeks customers among good fam.
lies or hotels, or dealers who sup
ply such, he will obtain the highest
price, and always have a steady
market for good families and
hotels, especially the former, prefer
butter at all times from the same
dairy, provided it is good butter
From r. w. MoSeley, in Farm
journal.